Gong woo gau gap

First I saw a screenshot of this film, and the line below attracted me: I am Ren Yingjiu, among the lawless world(Jiang Hu), and I am Aries. It get me confused that what is an exact explanation to this word "Jiang Hu'', maybe "lawless world" or "underworld". One scene in this film is a police asking Leung Kai Fai what is "Jiang Hu" in English, and Leung never answered but smiled. No one ever knows what "Jiang Hu" is as we never experienced a time like this. It is surprising that this film produced in 2000 should have made such a great wonder. Next time I want to see this film with my boyfriend:), he is Aries as well.

This is a very well made movie all around. The movie is will acted, featuring a bunch of interested colorful characters brought to life by very good character actor performances. The movie is very well directed. Full style and it moves along at a good pace. The movie explores interesting themes of change, tradition, and honor among thieves. The setting of the late 90's Hong Kong underworld is full energy. Fans of Asian cinema will be very familiar with these archetypes but The Triad Zone handles them well enough that they don't feel like stereotypes. Truly, the movie doesn't have a weak point. The Sopranos set in Asia with the style of a good music video.

The one possible hang up is that The Triad Zone makes some bold creative choices. I think most of those choices stick the landing and enhance the movie. If your idea of a crime drama is a 3 hour dry awards bait, you may find this film to be too quirky. I think most films will not have that problem.

Also note that the IMDB description is 100% incorrect. This has nothing to do with a troop of comedians and acrobats. The correct non-spoiler description for the movie should be "A Triad crime family boss struggles to hold on to power while trying to balance tradition and the changing times."

Jiang Hu: The Triad Zone follows the obligatory Hong Kong action genre formula - to a point. Yes, there's the warring triad gangs, vignettes on loyalty and betrayal, violence, and stylistic flourish. But this film also goes above and beyond on the comedy front. It manages to be one of the most humorous Hong Kong action flicks I've seen, without descending into farce. Perhaps that's because it does contain more serious moments as well.

Gang leader Jim Yam has ascended nearly to the pinnacle of power in the underworld, but it brings him few satisfactions. As he watches his peers drop dead around him - many of them amazingly from natural causes - he finds himself more and more soldiering on because that's just what bosses do. Reflecting back on his younger days in London, it is sad to contrast his current lavish - but empty - life as a crime lord in Hong Kong with the joys he experienced as a petty thief in England. These flashbacks and voice overs give us insights not only into Yam himself, but also his closest associates, whom we discover he in truth barely knows.

A good blend of the serious and the comic, Jiang Hu: The Triad Zone is not the peak of its genre, but certainly well worth seeing.